DVS offers notification service to help with driver’s test appointments

The lack of appointments available for driver’s tests once again has many Minnesota parents and teens frustrated.

It’s something that 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has been tracking for three years now. Minnesota Driver and Vehicle Services added more testing sites and increased hours but is now dealing with a staffing shortage, officials say.

“We hear how frustrating it’s been and we knew we had to do something about it,” said Pong Xiong, Minnesota DVS director.

Now a new notification service will let you know when available written and road driving test appointments are open. Simply select the locations where you can take the test, and you’ll then get an email from DVS as soon as a new spot opens up. But you must then reserve that open appointment.

“It’ll alert you as soon as an appointment becomes available so you don’t have to monitor the system anymore,” Xiong said.

RELATED: Parents, teens frustrated by lack of driver’s exam appointments throughout Minnesota

Xiong says demand for testing is up this year, as they’re administering as many as 13,000 tests a month.

“Pre-pandemic levels we were about 5 1/2 percent below those numbers so we’re doing more with about the same amount of people,” Xiong said.

Third-party companies are also feeling the impact. Brenda Spicer, who works for A+ Driving School, says appointments have been “backed up since the pandemic.”

“It delays the students being able to get in, it delays us being able to do lessons and tests with students,” Spicer said. “They’re going to love this because too many of them have been waiting for a long time.”

So far DVS says more than 1,300 people have signed up for the alerts.

“I’m glad I found the appointment because usually they go fast. Like, once it’s there you have two seconds to click it and put your information in, and it’s gone, but I did it fast enough,” said Aden Melake, who just passed her driving test on Thursday.

To subscribe to the notifications, click here and enter the necessary information.

DVS also urges anyone who has an appointment and no longer needs it to cancel it as soon as possible.